Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-06-09
FARM NOTES.

1t is claimed that four times as much
nutriment can be secured by convert
ing the waste products of the earth
into milk as can be gained by putting
them into beef, pork or mutton.
A distance of thirty feet apart each
way is suitable for apple trees, and
eighteen feet each way for peach trees.
The young trees should be kept we'll
trimmed and given good cultivation.
1t is not severe cold that kills the
small fruit vines, but the alternate
freezing and thawing. Hence the adj
vantage of mulch, which protects
from sudden changes of temperature.
In buying young trees it is best to
select those that have large supply of
roots, long and branching. The roots
may be shortened before putting the
trees in the ground. Trees with tops
not too heavy, with large roots, seldom
require stalking.
If plants be crushed when frozen
the leaves will wilt and turn dark.
This is also applicable to grass when
it is covered with frost, and stock
should not be turned upon pasture
until the sun shall be well up, as the
trampling of the frozen plants is in
furious.
If you have a spare piece of ground
sow oats and peas together as food for
the COWS. Ii makes excellent green
material, grows quickly, and can be
cut at any time when high enough.
Do not turn stock upon it to Craze,
but cut and carry it to the barnyard
for them.
1t is much better to sell off all the
surplus stock than to attempt to feed
too many on a short supply of food.
The extra animals require food for the
support of their bodies, without gain
ing, which supply of food should 90 to
the purpose of increasing the weight
of fewer number.
In order to show what sheep may
attain in weight, it may be mentioned
that q tWo-year-old-gra Lincoln
England. Its live weight was 434
pounds; carcass, 304 pounds; loose fat,
81 pounds; skin, entrails, blood, etc.,
80 pounds; waste, pounds.
When screWing up the nuts on the
ends of a rod it often happens that the
rod will turn with the nut. To pre-
vent this the nut on the other end
must be kept from turning by screw
ing on check-nut and a wrench on
this will hold the rod while the first
mentioned nut is screwed on.
Every farmer who slaughters hogs
and makes sausages should raise sage,
summer sayory, and thyme to use in
havoring them. Pulverized sweet
herbs should be sprinkled on fresh
pork before it is roasted. On farms
where there is plenty of help these
herbs can be raised with profit for the
supply of the local market.
A common custom of cattle king
land-grabbers on the plains has been
to buy the alternate sections of rail
road lands and fence the contiguous
corners in such a way as to inclose the
government sections, thus preventing
the passage of those who might want
to take up the latter. The attorney
general declares such fencing illegal.
Seth Green states that success i'll
fish-raising can not be acquired by the
reading of book any more than skill
in matchmaking can. Many facts can
be learned, but experience is needed
to enable one to raise fish. He recon-
mends that operations be commenced
on a small-scale, and that the business
be extended as ones knowledge in
cIeases.
In majority of cases the orchard is
the last location to be given cultiva-
ton, while very often the supposition
is that it should receive but little care.
The best results are only obtained from
the orchard when it is kept in as good
condition as possible, not only by be-
inc trimmed and the suckers removed,
but a liberal application of fertilizers
made to the ground.
Whenever sheep are afflicted with
tick, or other animals with vermin, it
indicates a low condition of the sys-
tenn, caused either by the Vermin in
the first place, or by improper feeding.
The better the condition of the animals
the less liability to attack. phey will
not improve until relieved, and the
longer this be delayed the more diff
cult it will become.
In Great Britain butter is carried in
the mails at very low rates, and a
large number of dairy farmers send
butter to customers regularly in this
way. 1t is placed in small wooden or
metal packages, and the postage is
prepaid by stamps. By employing
the mail-package service the profits of
middlemen are saved, and consumers
get fresh butter all the year.
Great interest is taken in fish propa-
cation III Louisiana at present. The
legislature has passed stringent laws
against the wanton destruction of fish,
and against catching them in traps
during the spawning season. 1t is
claimed that the state has as large a
lake area as Minnesota, and it is be-
ieved that many northern people will
come there during the winter to catch
fish.
In estimating the value of manure
it must not be overlooked that water
is a prominent ingredient. In 80 tons
of ordinary barnyard manure there
are $4,000 pounds of water, 250 pounds
phosphoric acid, 200 pounds potash,
and 225 pounds nitrogen. This esti-
20 ,lO,oo,,1C l,o 1-,,,I